Barack Obama did his speech thing after the Potomac Primary on Tuesday night, and it was riveting. Television talking heads back in the studio talked all over the speeches made by John McCain and Hillary Clinton. During Obama’s speech, nobody made a sound. The camera didn’t waver. Obama, young, lean, confident, and black, speaks in three-word declarations collected into … [Read more...] about History, maybe, over the horizon
Economic Masterminds Advise Candidates?
Do the names Sperling, Goolsbee, and Holtz-Eakin mean anything to you? If not, they should... one of these people will be instrumental in setting economic policy when Obama, Clinton or McCain get elected... and they are all determining a large part of what the candidates are saying now. This piece from Frankfurter Allgemeine, translated from German at Watching … [Read more...] about Economic Masterminds Advise Candidates?
Sad Uncle Sam
Patrick Corrigan, The Toronto Star … [Read more...] about Sad Uncle Sam
Fair Is as Fair Does
My esteemed co-blogger Paul Silver -- with whom I frequently agree -- wrote earlier about his disappointment with McCain's perceived "flip flop" on campaign finance. The DNC was also up in arms about McCain's decision, citing in a press release this line from today's related NYT story: Mr. McCain’s advisers said that the candidate, despite his signature legislative efforts to … [Read more...] about Fair Is as Fair Does
Burma: The Heartbeat Is Still Alive Underground
Lest we forget in the ruts many of us seem somewhat lost in these days, that of the dirt track race of tired horses we're following, a/k/a the Presidential nomination process... meanwhile there are others in many parts of the world, who are striving just to speak aloud without being 'disappeared' by government thugs. In late 2007 in Burma, (renamed Myanmar, by the current … [Read more...] about Burma: The Heartbeat Is Still Alive Underground
Obama, Clinton, Obama, Clinton
Petar Pismestrovic, Kleine Zeitung, Austria … [Read more...] about Obama, Clinton, Obama, Clinton
Pimping Out the News
Last week's Chelsea Clinton furor marks a low point in cable network competition for eyeballs and ears during the 24/7 news cycle and raises broader questions about their prime-time "journalism," which has degenerated into a babble of idiot ids vying for attention. David Shuster's "pimped out" remark exemplifies a trend reported almost a year ago by the Project for … [Read more...] about Pimping Out the News
Arabs Take Responsibility for Their Own Mess
An unusual, but oh-so-sensible, article from Yemen in the Arab Middle East. Apparently, the mess is not all America's fault. Who'd have thought it? H/T WATCHING AMERICA.com … [Read more...] about Arabs Take Responsibility for Their Own Mess
Hillary Clinton Sets Herself Up For Late Night Comedians’ Punchline
Uh, oh. You just KNOW late night comedians Jay Leno and David Letterman are having their writers working on punchlines for THIS one and some will try to spin it into a story about her actually hearing voices: ABC News' Eloise Harper and Kate Snow Report: In McAllen, Texas this morning Senator Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., said she wasn’t giving up on her race for the White … [Read more...] about Hillary Clinton Sets Herself Up For Late Night Comedians’ Punchline
Pondering the Dream Ticket
Conservative columnist Michael Medved gives a lot of thought about an Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama ticket in Dem's "Dream Ticket" : Why It Won't Happen In considering the value of Obama on the ticket, Mr. Medved seems to gloss over the importance of his strong attraction to Independents and others who crave a break with entrenched special interests. … [Read more...] about Pondering the Dream Ticket
I Miss The Good Ol’ Days of Rape
Tennessee State Senator Doug Henry's lamentation about the state of rape law wins him my "Creeper of the Day" award. … [Read more...] about I Miss The Good Ol’ Days of Rape
Getting Specific
Back in the day, I noted the absurdity of anyone railing on Obama's "lack of experience" while giving anything but scorn to Rudy Giuliani. Alas, Hizzoner's brilliant campaign strategy ("1.Lose state after state by resounding margins. 2. ? 3. Victory!") somehow foundered, so that rule is now moot. However, we have a replacement: neither John McCain nor his supporters get to … [Read more...] about Getting Specific
McCain Flip Flops on Campaign Finance Reform
The Blog at the American Prospect notices some flip flopping MCCAIN: NO MAVERICK ON CAMPAIGN REFORM, EITHER. The deed is done. John McCain, having been a participant in the presidential public financing system for eight months, has now declined the money for which he qualified, and declared himself free to spend an unlimited amount of private money between now and the … [Read more...] about McCain Flip Flops on Campaign Finance Reform
Gates’ Words ‘Discredit’ NATO’s Afghan Mission
Can the United States expect its NATO allies to step up and station more combat troops in Afghanistan's more dangerous regions? Given the commentary in much of the European press with perhaps the exception of the French, that seems like an unlikely prospect. Burkhard von Pappenheim writes for Germany's Frankfurter Rundschau, 'U.S. Defense Secretary Gates' terse words discredit … [Read more...] about Gates’ Words ‘Discredit’ NATO’s Afghan Mission
‘An American Dream’: Why We Watch the U.S. Elections
What impact do American elections have on people around the world? François Sergent of France's Liberation writes, 'Like it or not, the American elections are often more important for the world than our internal elections. Imagine the world today, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, not to mention global warming, if Bush hadn’t been improperly, so improperly elected eight years … [Read more...] about ‘An American Dream’: Why We Watch the U.S. Elections
India’s Highest Court & The Case Of Handlebar Moustache
The case of Joynath Victor De, an employee of India's national domestic airlines, and his handlebar moustache has tickled the nation's imagination no end. But for him it has been a matter of bread and butter. He was fired in 1999 after refusing to trim it, but was reinstated – complete with his moustache – after a ruling by the Calcutta High Court found in his favour. Then the … [Read more...] about India’s Highest Court & The Case Of Handlebar Moustache
A Clinton Supporter Asks: If Obama Wins it All, What Then?
First the Obama campaign successfully shut down any resistance from the Clintons by succeeding in getting them tagged in the Clinton-loathing media as 'racist' or, at least, 'racist-like'. (i.e., racist if you ignore the actual meaning of the word 'racist,' plus all known facts about Clinton and ignore common sense and the plain meaning of her remark.) Once the … [Read more...] about A Clinton Supporter Asks: If Obama Wins it All, What Then?
Confessions in Search of Conviction
Last week, I crossed party lines to vote for Obama in the Missouri primary. Last night, I noted that I’m increasingly likely to do the same in November. This evolution is more painful than you might imagine … if you could only hear the cacophony in my head. “How can you do this?,” my conservative conscience screams. “You thoroughly distrust government’s ability to be … [Read more...] about Confessions in Search of Conviction
Around The Campaign 2008 Sphere: Special Potomac Primaries Edition
NOTE: This is a special Potomac Primaries edition of our famous Around The Sphere link-fest: it gives you reaction to weblogs of many different viewpoints on yesterday's primaries and the political scene. Links and quotes do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of TMV or its co-writers. REACTION TO THE VICTORIES OF DEMOCRAT BARACK OBAMA AND REPUBLICAN JOHN MCCAIN IN THE … [Read more...] about Around The Campaign 2008 Sphere: Special Potomac Primaries Edition
Sometimes It’s The Little Things That Count
It isn't written anywhere that a politician has to congratulate, let along acknowledge, an opponnent following a loss, but Hillary Clinton seems to be developing a pretty good case of sour grapes. Last night, for the second election night in a row, Clinton failed to do either after Obama cleaned her clock in the Potamac Primaries. Reports CNN political producer Peter … [Read more...] about Sometimes It’s The Little Things That Count